Trinidad: A Grim Toll of Murders with Weekend Bloodshed

Murder trail was recorded over the weekend in Trinidad, as the region saw three more lives taken in less than 24 hours. The uprise in violence has further fueled public concerns about safety with worries about the ability of police to put a check on the spiraling crime.

The most recent incident took place on July 14 at about 8:38 pm at the busy intersection of Charlotte Street and South Quay, Port of Spain. One man was shot and killed and another one injured. His identity was not confirmed by the police. His body was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Details to the shooting are sketchy, as at press time, as investigators from the Freeport Police Station are still probing the incident.

A few hours after that tragedy another one unfolded, but this time at Freeport. Around 12:45 am at Venezuelan national, Fayge Acosta, 23-year-old was found stabbed to his chest at home. Relatives of Acosta heard strange noises and found him bleeding from a stab wound to his chest.

Although quickly taken to Couva Hospital, Acosta died of his injuries at approximately 3:30 am. The motive for killing him has remained a mystery and serves to exacerbate the feelings of disquiet and insecurity within the community.

The spate of violence and killings in T&T continued on Thursday morning when the body of an unknown male was found on Dump Road, Arima. The body had gunshot wounds, which effectively brought the tally of murders to three within less than six hours. The killing is currently under active police investigation, as the police officers try to piece information that could lead them to a suspect.

This comes in a long line of killings that have escalated over the years in Trinidad. From July 12 through noon of July 15, an unbelievable 18 murders were recorded. Such an alarming statistic shows that much more has to be done in the development of a viable master plan for addressing the root causes of crime and for increasing public safety.

The police have, in the meantime, appealed to members of the public to provide any information that might lead them to arrests. The community is asked to be on the lookout and to cooperate with the police towards seeking justice against such acts of inhumanity.